The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-04-02
The Sunday Sehoo1.
LESSON FOR APRIL 10, 1887.
BY REV. ROBERT T. POLK.
JOSEPH EXALTED.
PHARAOH.
TGenesis xii. 39-48.l


Pharaoh was royal title applied to the
kings of Egypt at the time of the patriarchs,
as was Ptolemy at the time of the Greek
supremacy of Egypt, and in the same sense
in which the term Caesar was applied to the
emperors of Rome. The word is probably
derived from the Egyptian word for sun
(Phre) The kings of Egypt were considered
the greatest among men, as the sun was
chief of the heavenly bodies. "Son of the
Sun was the title of him whose power was
exalted in the earth, as the sun was in the
heavens. What particular king was reigning
in Egypt when Joseph was the slave of the
captain of the royal guard may not now be
certainly determined. The exact chronology
of the book of Genesis and of prehistoric
Eeypt are equally obscure. The Bible is not
a history of the world, but record of the rev.
citation of COP in kingdom that is in the
world, but not of the world. Itrecords only the
history of the kingdoms of the world which
relate to the kingdom of Cop. The GER
tainty of the Divine Providence and the
eternal purpose of GoD are made clear in the
record. when the exact time and the identity
of persons and places may be obscure.
The uncertainty in which we are obliged to
leave the subject gives one of those striking
lessons of which ancient, and especially
sacred history, is full-that we may well be
content to have the great events OF history
preserved for us in that broad outline which
oomnels us to regard them in their great N oral
significance, without being suffered to fr1tter
away our attention on Improbable details.
The Pharaohs of Abraham, Joseph and Moses
are simply "Pharaohs " after all, unnamed
rulers of the land of bondage, and our chlet
concern is with the race to whom they were
made the instruments of COPS designs
Smith, i" History of the World
The personal character of the Pharaoh of
our Lesson appears to be that OF a wise and
prudent ruler, anxious for the welfare OF his
people, and superior to popular prejudice
against strangers and foreigners. While DO
seph was in prison, to which he had been un-
justly condemned by his master, whose con-
fdence and great favor he had frequently
won by his faithfulness and integrity (xxxix.)
Pharaoh had two dreams which greatly
troubled him. The ancients appear to have
attached great significance to dreams and
were strongly impressed by them. lie
dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,
and saw seven fine fat COWS come out OF the
river and feed upon the grass growing upon
the meadow by its banks, followed by seven
others, ugly and lean, which came up to them
and devoured them. He then awoke, but fell
asleep and dreamed that he saw seven full
heads [earsl of grain growing upon one
stalk, that were swallowed by seven empty
ones, blasted by the east wind. The dreams
appeared SO real to him, and were so alike in
their movement and what they might signify,
that his wonder and anxiety to know their
meaning were greatly excited. Though the
kings dreams were formed of the familiar
symbols of the religion of Egypt, the priests,
or wise men of the land, we're not able to give
a satisfactory Interpretation of them.
The COW was the symbol of Isis, the god
dess of the all-sustaining earth, and repre-
sented the products of agriculture; and the
Nile, by its overfowing, was the source of
the fertility of the land. The chief butler of
the kings palace had been in prison with
Joseph who had successfully interpreted
strange dreams which he and the baker had
when in the prison. He told Pharaoh of
these dreams, and that Joseph had interpret
ed them to mean what afterward occurred
Joseph was Immediately sent for The king
told him that he had heard of his eminent
gift, and requested that he should interpret
his dreams, which he related. Joseph de-
clared that whatever ability he possessed in
the matter was GoD given, and said that in
the dreams COP had showed Pharaoh what
He is about to do" lie said that the Two
dreams had the same meaning, which was
that the next seven years would be years of
great fertility and abundance in the land,
and would be followed by seven years of
barrenness and famine, that would leave no
trace of the former fruitfulness. Joseph ad-
vised the king TO appoint a discreet and wise
officer whose duty it should be to gather in
store-houses, in all the cities, by royal au-
thority, levy of one-ffth of the produce
during the fruitful years, that there might
be supply of food for the period of dearth.
The Nile, it is now known, rises among the
uplands in Eastern Africa, south of the
Equator, nearly or quite 1000 miles from its
mouth While there is little rain in Egypt,
the annual rise of the waters from the noun
tains brings down the alluyium from the up
per country, and, OVERLOOKING the banks,
leaves rich deposit upon the lands of the
valley. The harvests of Egypt depend wholly
upon the irrigation from the waters of the
Nile. These may be so nigh as to be de-
structiVe, or so low as to fail to fertilize the
land. Rev. G. L. Denlarest, d. d., s. S.
Helper, November, 1880
The Nile $50 we must of necessity interpret
the vision of Pharaoh and its fufillment)
from the failure of the Abyssinian rains, fell
short of its due level. Twice only, in the
eleventh and twelfth centuries of the Chris
tian era, such a catastrophe is described by
Arabian historians in terms which give us
a full conception of the calamity from which
Joseph delivered the country. The first last
ed like that of Joseph for seven years; of the
other most fearful details are given by an
eye enthusiastically, "History of the jew
ish Church."